OK, thanks everyone for your advice. It's been *very* helpful. Actually, just *getting* advice was helpful. Nice to know one isn't alone, right? So, let me wind this down by focusing back on a specific and very practical point and maybe you can advise.
I'm managing to get a decent base of practice going, at least in terms of doing it regularly. But it's all on my own, and based on only a cursory understanding from things like MCTB plus various internet places. I think I need to find some support, at least in the form of other meditators, but ideally also with a teacher involved. I can think of at least three options that make practical sense. One is to join my local Zen center and get involved there. Another is to make use of a local Burmese Theravadan monastery connected (I believe) with
this guy. A third option is to get into some of Shinzen Young's Home Practice stuff. Here's what I'm thinking on those:
Zen
Pros: I like the austere, non-intellectual approach, as a counterbalance to my innate tendency to intellectualize.
It is a well-established Zen center, resident priests, good community of people, retreats, etc. They sit daily -- twice daily even.
Cons:WTF *is* Zen!?
My original motivation for doing meditation was to enhance concentration and focus, and although I'm seeing beyond that now, it's still a motivation. I've heard all about how samatha meditation helps with that, but zazen? Does it lead anywhere; does it do anything? Does it manage to achieve it in less than 70 years of work?
Vipassana/Theravada
Pros: This seems to be closest to MCTB and is really why I'm here (as I understand it at the moment). Samatha and then Vipassana, jhanas, progress of insight, dark night, stream entry, the whole shebang.
Cons: I don't know the local monastery people much at all. They're Burmese and it's heavily "cultured" (less a problem, more just a bit strange). They don't meet too often. And I don't know much at all about Sitagu Sayadaw (Ashin Nyanissara). Again, there's the "hokum or no-hokum" question. Are they legit?
Shinzen
Pros: I really like Shinzen's style, from what I've seen. He is a mad geek of a meditator, and in some ways he may have done all the hard hokum/no-hokum work for me. He's done the Zen thing, and the Vipassana thing, and he appears to be cutting away the crap and getting to the good stuff. What's not to like? Well, two things
Cons: I don't think that home practice isn't going to be as good face-to-face involvement. I've no doubt it's way better than nothing, but I imagine even Shinzen would say it's better if you teacher and student can be in the same place.
OK, so there you go. Any advice on choosing?
R
P.S. There is a second "Con:" for Shinzen, but I'm pulling it down here so as not to muddy the above with tangential discussion. It is however a big red flag for me. Shinzen gave a public endorsement of his onetime teacher
Joshu Sasaki. It was before the recent allegations of misconduct, and I don't believe that Sasaki's alleged behavior necessarily in any way reduces the validity of Shinzen's teaching, but he really should address this hanging thread. Curiously I can no longer find the video where Shinzen says he reckons that Sasaki is pretty much at the Bodhisatva stage, but I'm sure he said it. And anyway,
this video contains an almost equally ringing endorsement, when Shinzen refers to Sasaki as being "arguably the senior living Buddhist master in the world" (sure, "senior" can mean anything, but there's no doubt Shinzen was giving a heavy duty endorsement of Sasaki in this case). For me, Shinzen's approach and his judgement is significantly undermined until he balances his earlier comments in light of the recent scandal. If Sasaki did the things he did (although, to be fair, how could the vast majority of any of us out here on the internet know that), then it demands an explanation, especially given the public nature of Shinzen's early comments.